Essay BIO 101 Module 1 Complete Introduction to Science TUI

Essay BIO 101 Module 1 Complete Introduction to Science TUI

BIO 101 Module 1 Complete Introduction to Science TUI

BIO 101 Module 1 Discussion

Discussion: Life’s Extreme Environments

Discussion Topic

Everything we know about life comes from studying our own planet. Recent discoveries about life forms in extreme environments have renewed scientists’ interest in looking for life elsewhere.

Organisms that thrive in a wide variety of harsh conditions –called extremophiles—are broadening scientists’ understanding of the diverse environmental conditions life can withstand. Scientists have had to modify their theories and expand their view of what types of environments are habitable based on the new information presented by the existence of extremophiles.

Watch the following 1.5 minute NOVA video on extremophiles. Complete your initial post by answering the questions below:

Life’s Extreme Environments

https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nvfl.sci.space.extremophiles/lifes-extreme-environments/#.WjLURN-nGM8

• What is an extremophile?
• What kinds of extreme environments can life thrive in?
• Explain why the study of extreme environments on Earth is important to the search for life on other planets. Do you think this could change the way scientists view our understanding of life? Why or why not?

BIO 101 Module 1 Case

Your Assignment:

1. What is life? Research six specimens from the list below, describe them as living, nonliving, or dead and give support for why each belongs in their respective category.

Brown grass	Whale sperm	HIV virus
Fertilized chicken egg	Hair from human head	Prion
Egg from grocery store	Skin cell from back of hand	Amoeba
Blood cell	Mushroom	Coral reef

2. What traits did you list as characteristics of living things, but were not easily observable?
3. List several processes that occur while an organism is alive, but cease when it is dead.
4. Did any nonliving things possess some of the same characteristics as living things? Which ones?
5. How do plants differ from animals in their life activities?
6. Define the word dormant. What factors influence whether something is considered dormant?
7. Research one of the following controversial discoveries: nanobacteria (Young & Martel, 2009), the “fossilized Martian bacteria” observed on the meteorite ALH84001 (McKay et al., 1996), or Craig Venter’s 2010 announcement of the first creation of “synthetic life” (Gibson et al., 2010). Review the claims made by the researchers who announced the discovery. Do the organisms fit the definition of life? How so?

BIO 101 Module 1 SLP

Citizen science projects are research activities that allow non-scientists to participate in data collection and make contributions to many areas of science from ecology to astronomy. These projects are sponsored by individuals, organizations and universities. Activities vary widely from observing and counting birds to completing surveys on pet behavior.

You will be creating a presentation researching one citizen science project from the list below (or you may search the internet for a citizen science project of your choosing). You do not have to participate in the study to complete your assignment, but many of these projects are available for citizen participation all over the world.

1. Wildwatch Kenya
   Project goal is to count, identify and track the giraffes in conservation field sites through trail camera photos. https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/sandiegozooglobal/wildwatch-kenya
2. The Great Backyard Bird Count
   Citizens collect data on the highest number of birds of each species seen together at one time.
   http://gbbc.birdcount.org/

Topics you should include in your presentation:

Slide 1
Title Slide with Name, Course and Date

Slides 2-3: Introduction
Introduction and background on your chosen citizen science project, including what questions are being asked and who is asking them. Include a summary of why you chose this project:

• What is the problem(s) the researchers are trying to solve?
• Complete additional research to determine what is known about the problem(s).
• What questions would you like answered?
• Include supporting images

Slides 4-5
Describe any observations or experiments that have been conducted to answer the research question(s). How will this help answer the questions being asked? Include any supporting images.

Slides 6-7
Add additional interesting facts you gathered about the citizen project (this may require additional research). Include any relevant images.

Slides 8-9 – Conclusion
Summarize your project findings.

• Why do scientists need the help of citizens to accurately answer their questions?
• What are some of the pros and cons of using citizens to collect data?
• Why is this research important?
• What are the possible real world applications?

Slide 10—References
Please provide your sources in APA format including the link to your citizen project.